Compression means for flake ice water

ABSTRACT

A method and means of removing liquid from a flake ice product wherein a mass of flake ice product is driven axially in the form of a confined columnar path and at one point in the path the cross-sectional area of the column is temporarily reduced over a discrete axial length to squeeze excess liquid from the product. Such compression can be conveniently effected by a resiliently elastic member having a conical portion necking down to an opening of pre-selected size, the size of the opening and the degree of resilience being selected, and varied if desired, to produce an ice flake product of any required percentage of moisture content.

United States. Patent 15] 3,704,599 Darby et al. [4 1 Dec. 5, 1972 COMPRESSION MEANS FOR FLAKE 3,064,557 11/1962 Ginaven ..l00/ 148 ICE WATER [72] I J G D b w bb L k w FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS nventors: ames ar y, ,e a e, 1s.;

Jack R Clearman Stevensvme 409,499 5/1934 Great Britain ..62/354 h. MIC Primary Examiner-William E. Wayner gnee: Whirlpool Corporation, Benton Har- Attorney-Thomas E. Turcotte, James S. Netteton, L Donald W. Thomas, Burton H. Baker, Franklin C. [22] Filed: Oct. 17,1969 Harter, Gene A. Heth and Hill, Sherman, Meroni,

Gross & S1mpson [2]] App]. No.: 13,912 r [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl ..62/354, 100/148 A method and means of removing liquid from a flake [5t] Int.Cl. ..F25c l/l4 ic pr c wh rein a m f flake i product is [58] Field of Search ..62/320, 354; driven axially in the form of a confined columnar p 1Q0/147 149 and at one point in the path the cross-sectional area of the column is temporarily reduced over a discrete 5 References Cited 4 axial length to squeeze excess liquid from the product. Such compression can be conveniently effected by a UNITED STATES PATENTS resiliently elastic member having a conical portion necking down to an opening of pre-selected size, the E size of the opening and the degree of resilience being 12/1894 21 X selected, and varied if desired, to produce an ice flake n0 d t 1,221,054 4/1917 Hyatt ..l00/148 $3? any requ're percentage 2,428,995 10/1947 Rogers ..l00/148 I 2,547,336 4/ 195 l McDaniel, Jr. et al. ..24l/4 52 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 4; 47 54 1 50 i3 1 -42 43 .F/ 4/ r I 1 2 99 a; J 34 i I i /Z Z9 W Z3 27 a/ .50 A} 29 Z l a, 24 ll COMPRESSION MEANS FOR FLAKE ICE WATER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates generally to ice flake makers.

2. Description of the Prior Art lce flakers have been provided heretofore which produce an ice flake product by scraping the side walls of a cylindrical freezing cylinder. Such ice flake product is frequently compressed into nuggets whereupon the nuggets are disintegrated or fragmented to form chips of ice of desired size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a flake ice product is produced by scraping the walls of a cylindrical freezing compartment, however, the ice produced ranges from a wet, slushy ice to small flakes or chunks. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the ice slush, chunks or a combination of both, are axially driven in the form of a mass of flake ice product confined in a columnar path. At one point in the path, the crosssectional area of the column is temporarily reduced over a discrete axial length by applying inwardly directed resilient forces to the columnar mass of ice flake product in order to squeeze excess liquid from the product which is thereupon returned by recirculation to the freezing compartment. The inwardly directed resilient forces may be applied by the utilization of a resiliently elastic member of selected size and selected resilience and which is of a conical configuration so that it necks down to an opening of pro-selected size. By virtue of such provision, ice of virtually any desired moisture content may be supplied merely by varying the degree of resilience and the size of the opening in the cone shaped member. Because of its inherent resilience, the cone shaped member will not overload the drive mechanism of the machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an ice flake maker utilizing the improved compression means of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one form of cone shaped compression means provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line III-Ill of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view in cross section of another form of compression means provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The improved ice flaker of the present invention is shown generally at and comprises a generally upright cylindrical freezing cylinder 1 1 having disposed in circumjacent relation thereto the coils 12 of an evaporator fonning part of a refrigeration system.

Water may be supplied to the interior of the freezing cylinder 11 through a water inlet 13. The freezing cylinder 11 is mounted in a generally upright disposition on top of a base construction 14 and is fastened thereto by a plurality of fastening means 16. The base construction 14 includes a gear box 17 in which is housed a toothed gear 18 rotatably driven by a worm 19 actuated by a shaft 20 connected to a suitable driving unit (not shown).

The gear unit is splined as at 21 to a shaft 22. One end of the shaft is rotatably journalled in a combined roller and thrust bearing assembly shown generally at 23. The shaft is also supported for rotation in the base assembly 14 by means of an additional upper bearing means indicated at 26. A spacer element 24 is disposed between gear 18 and upper bearing means 26. An upper bearing grease seal 9 is disposed below bearing means 26.

An auger shown generally at 27 is connected to the shaft 22 and projects upwardly into the freezing cylinder 11 without any additional bearing support. It will be noted that the auger 27 is of a comparatively larger diameter and is provided with two flights of helically disposed blades 28 and 29 having scraping edges 30 disposed closely adjacent an inner bore wall 31 provided on the inner surface of the freezer cylinder 1 1.

When water is circulated in the freezer cylinder 1 l, a thin film of ice will form on the bore wall 31 whereupon the scraper edges 30 of the blades 28 and 29 will scrape the ice from the adjoining bore wall 31 and will progressively advance the same upwardly towards a cap member shown generally at 32 and which is flanged as at 33 and connected in sealed relation to the freezer cylinder 11 by means of a coupling joint 34.

The cap member 32 is formed with one or more ice collecting passages 36 which conduct the ice slush, chunks or a combination of both forced out of the freezer cylinder 11 and into a conduit 37 forming a discharge passage 38 extending upwardly out of the top of the cap member 32.

A reduced diameter screw shaft 39 having screw blades 40 thereon extends upwardly from auger 27 through the cap member 32 and into the passage 38.

The inside walls of the conduit 37 are characterized by the formation thereon of a plurality of axially extending ribs 41, which ribs are spaced circumferentially and in this particular embodiment are four in number spaced equiangularly. The screw blades 40 are of such a diameter as to move the edges thereof closely adjacent the inner edges of the ribs 41. Thus, the screw blades 40 operate to axially drive a mass of flake ice product in the form of a confined columnar path prescribed by the passage 38.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, water removing means are provided in the discharge passage 38 and such water removing means are shown generally at 42. Thus, there is provided a flexible tubular member which may be resilient and elastic and may conveniently comprise material such as rubber, neoprene, or vinyl, or polyurethane elastomer. The water removing means or squeeze tube 42 comprises a cylindrical body portion 43 which may be outwardly flanged as at 44 to facilitate assembly and having a convergent conical portion 46 terminating in an edge 47 prescribing a reduced diameter opening 48 having a considerably smaller diameter than the opening 49 prescribed internally of the flange 44. Thus, it will be noted that the inwardly converging walls forming the conical section 46 extend through a discrete axial length. In one embodiment providing good results the opening 48 of water removing means or squeeze tube 42 was approximately one half the inside diameter of the discharge passage 38 upstream of opening 48, the conical portion 46 converged at a 60 angle with respect to a horizontal axis, and the Shore-A durometer hardness measurement of squeeze tube 42 was about 75.

The water removing means 42 is shown as disposed in the discharge passage 38. For example, the tubular wall section 43 is assembled concentrically outwardly of the conduit 37 whereupon an extension conduit 50 is telescoped outwardly thereof and the three nested parts are secured in firm assembly with one another by a clamp 51. The conduit 50 is used for conducting the ice product to a storage compartment or to a place of utilization. A

By virtue of such arrangement, it will be noted that the conical section 46 temporarily reduces the crosssectional area of the column of ice flaked product over a discrete axial length and applies inwardly directed resilient forces to the columnar mass of ice flaked product thereby to squeeze excess liquid from the product which is returned by recirculation to the freezer cylinder 1 1.

If desired, a disintegrator may be incorporated in the structure as shown generally at 52 and including a first arm 53 extending axially from the screw shaft 39 with which it is coaxially and corotatably connected and a second arm 54 which is off-set from the arm 53 to overlie the edges of the opening 48, thereby to break up the ice product which is forced through the opening 48 as it is moved upwardly in the conduit 50.

Since the compression device or water removing means 42 has walls that taper to a central opening 48 which is smaller in diameter than the passageway 38, flaked ice driven by the screw blades 40 will be progressively squeezed so that the water content of the ice is reduced and a relatively dry flake ice product is obtained. Moreover, the excess water returns to the ice flaker freezing cylinder or compartment 1 l for recirculation.

Different users of the apparatus may have different requirements for the maximum water content in the ice product. By virtue of the present invention, the conical compression device 42 can be selectively changed to vary the water content in the ice product. This can be accomplished, for example, by reducing the diameter of the outlet opening 48 or by varying the relative degree of resilience. The resilience may be adjusted by increasing the wall thickness of the compression device 42 such that a greater force is required to force the ice flake product through the exit opening 48, or by using rubber or similar material of a different durometer or material having stiffer characteristics. Thus, the user can be provided with a choice of interchangeable compression devices like device 42 to obtain an ice product with a desired ice hardness or ice content by weight. With the disclosed structure of the invention, a flake ice product can be produced which is in the order of about 80 percent or more ice by weight and which is in a desirable range. I

Referring now to FIG. 4, an ice flaker a is shown therein embodying a modification of the invention utilizing'a coil spring to facilitate a resilient squeezing lnlA of the excess liquid from the flake ice product. Portions of the ice flaker not shown in FIG. 4 are substantially the same as those illustrated in detail in FIG. 1. A conduit 37a (shown in FIG. 4) corresponds to the conduit 37 of FIG. 1. A water removing means or compression device 42a, which may conveniently comprise a tubular member fabricated from a material such as rubber, neoprene or vinyl, or polyurethane elastomer, with an intermediate exterior wall portion encircled by a resilient coil spring 61, is attached to conduit 37a by a suitable clamping means 51a. The upper portion of the water removing means 42a is secured to a conduit 50a by means of a suitable clamp 60. The coil sprIng 61 applies a resilient force against an intermediate portion of the wall of the tubular member comprising water removing means 42a to constrict its diameter in the zone adjacent the coil spring. As the flake ice product is driven upward in the conduit 37a by means of the screw blades 40, the flake ice product is forced through the reduced diameter discharge passage 48a defined by the resilient restriction formed at the portion of the water removing means 42a which is backed up by the coil spring 61. Thus, excess water is squeezed from the flake ice product and returns to the ice freezing chamber via conduit 37a, and the flake ice product passing upward through the zone encircled by the coil spring is a relatively hard flake ice product having the desired low water content. The flake ice passes upward through the conduit 50a to a storage compartment, which may be in a remote location, not shown. In the event that an ice product is desired which is harder than that provided with utilization of the coil spring 61, it will be apparent that a stiffer coil spring can be substituted to exert a greater squeezing force against the flake ice product passing through the water removing means.

A further feature of the compression devices 42 and 42a provided in accordance with this invention is that due to their resilient nature, there is built-in protection of the machine against overloading since under extreme loads the compression device outlet opening 48 or passage 48a will open up to a greater extent thereby serving as a safety valve for releasing any ice forced under positive displacement by the auger 27 and the screw blades 40 through the discharge passage 38.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon all such modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of our contribution to the art.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An ice maker comprising,

a generally upright cylindrical freezing cylinder having a refrigerated bore wall,

an auger rotatable in said cylinder and having helical blade means of a first wide diameter for scraping ice from said bore wall and advancing such ice upwardly,

a cap member at the top of said cylinder having a conduit forming a discharge passage for receiving the ice delivered by said anger as a wet ice flake product,

a reduced diameter screw bladed shaft projecting through said cap member and into said conduit to drive the ice flake product in the form of a columnar mass,

andwater removing means in said discharge passage for removing excess water from the ice flake product before exiting from said passage, said water removing means comprising a resiliently elastic member circumscribing said driven columnar mass for selectively temporarily reducing the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage and resiliently squeezing excess liquid from the columnar mass of ice flake product,-said elastic member being of selected size and selected resilience to produce an ice flake product of required percentage moisture content.

2. In an ice maker having a freezing cylinder adapted to be mounted in a vertical position, means for cooling said cylinder, an auger having helically disposed blades mounted within the cylinder with the edges of the blades closely adjacent to the inner wall of the cylinder, an outlet for flaked ice harvested from the inner wall of the cylinder, above said cylinder, means for rotating said auger and means for feeding water to said cylinder, the improvement which comprises,

means for driving a mass of flaked ice product in the form of a confined column along a vertically disposed confined path,

a circumferentially continuous elastic member hav ing a necked-down portion, extending radially inwardly and being coaxially disposed with and forming part of said confined path, said necked-down portion squeezing radially in-.

wardly to form a mass of flaked ice passing therethrough into a column of flaked ice from which excess liquid has been squeezed while the unfrozen water squeezed from the column of ice is returned to said cylinder without passing through the necked-down portion of the elastic tube.

3. An ice maker in accordance with claim 2 in which the resilient member is a conically-shaped tube and said means for driving a mass of flaked ice product in the form of a confined column along said vertically disposed confined path is a driven screw shaft, having screw blades of diameter reduced from that of said auger blades, extending into said confined path.

4. An ice maker, as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastic member comprises an elastic tubular member having an intermediate portion encircled by a resilient spring member exerting a squeezing pressure on the exterior wall of the tubular member to provide a reduced diameter passage of preselected size.

5. An ice maker as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastic member comprises a member having a conical portion necking down to an opening of preselected size approximately one-half the diameter of the discharge passage upstream of the necked down portion.

6. An ice maker as defined in claim 5, wherein said elastic member has a hardness corresponding to a durometer measurement of about on the Shore A scale.

7. An ice maker comprising,

a generally upright cylindrical freezing cylinder having a refri erated bore wall an auger ro atable in said cylinder on a vertical axis and having helical blade means of a first wide diameter for scraping ice from said bore wall and advancing such ice upwardly, a cap member at the top of said cylinder having a conduit forming a discharge passage disposed coaxially with said vertical axis for receiving the ice delivered by said auger as a wet ice flake product, reduced diameter screw bladed shaft projecting through said cap member and into said conduit to drive the ice flake product in the form of a columnar mass, and water removing means in said discharge passage for removing excess water from the ice flake product before exiting from said passage, said water removing means comprising a circumferentially continuous resiliently elastic member circumscribing said driven columnar mass for selectively temporarily reducing the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage concentrically radially inwardly relative to the axis and resiliently squeezing excess liquid from the columnar mass of ice flake product, said elastic member being sufficiently smaller diameter than said passage and of selected resilience to produce a column of ice substantially free of excess liquid. 

1. An ice maker comprising, a generally upright cylindrical freezing cylinder having a refrigerated bore wall, an auger rotatable in said cylinder and having helical blade means of a first wide diameter for scraping ice from said bore wall and advancing such ice upwardly, a cap member at the top of said cylinder having a conduit forming a discharge passage for receiving the ice delivered by said auger as a wet ice flake product, a reduced diameter screw bladed shaft projecting through said cap member and into said conduit to drive the ice flake product in the form of a columnar mass, and water removing means in said discharge passage for removing excess water from the ice flake product before exiting from said passage, said water removing means comprising a resiliently elastic member circumscribing said driven columnar mass for selectively temporarily reducing the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage and resiliently squeezing excess liquid from the columnar mass of ice flake product, said elastic member being of selected size and selected resilience to produce an ice flake product of required percentage moisture content.
 2. In an ice maker having a freezing cylinder adapted to be mounted in a vertical position, means for cooling said cylinder, an auger having helically disposed blades mounted within the cylinder with the edges of the blades closely adjacent to the inner wall of the cylinder, an outlet for flaked ice harvested from the inner wall of the cylinder, above said cylinder, means for rotating said auger and means for feeding water to said cylinder, the improvement which comprises, means for driving a mass of flaked ice product in the form of a confined column along a vertically disposed confined path, a circumferentially continuous elastic member having a necked-down portion, extending radially inwardly and being coaxially disposed with and forming part of said confined path, said necked-down portion squeezing radially inwardly to form a mass of flaked ice passing therethrough into a column of flaked ice from which excess liquiD has been squeezed while the unfrozen water squeezed from the column of ice is returned to said cylinder without passing through the necked-down portion of the elastic tube.
 3. An ice maker in accordance with claim 2 in which the resilient member is a conically-shaped tube and said means for driving a mass of flaked ice product in the form of a confined column along said vertically disposed confined path is a driven screw shaft, having screw blades of diameter reduced from that of said auger blades, extending into said confined path.
 4. An ice maker, as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastic member comprises an elastic tubular member having an intermediate portion encircled by a resilient spring member exerting a squeezing pressure on the exterior wall of the tubular member to provide a reduced diameter passage of preselected size.
 5. An ice maker as defined in claim 2, wherein said elastic member comprises a member having a conical portion necking down to an opening of preselected size approximately one-half the diameter of the discharge passage upstream of the necked down portion.
 6. An ice maker as defined in claim 5, wherein said elastic member has a hardness corresponding to a durometer measurement of about 75 on the Shore A scale.
 7. An ice maker comprising, a generally upright cylindrical freezing cylinder having a refrigerated bore wall, an auger rotatable in said cylinder on a vertical axis and having helical blade means of a first wide diameter for scraping ice from said bore wall and advancing such ice upwardly, a cap member at the top of said cylinder having a conduit forming a discharge passage disposed coaxially with said vertical axis for receiving the ice delivered by said auger as a wet ice flake product, a reduced diameter screw bladed shaft projecting through said cap member and into said conduit to drive the ice flake product in the form of a columnar mass, and water removing means in said discharge passage for removing excess water from the ice flake product before exiting from said passage, said water removing means comprising a circumferentially continuous resiliently elastic member circumscribing said driven columnar mass for selectively temporarily reducing the cross-sectional area of the discharge passage concentrically radially inwardly relative to the axis and resiliently squeezing excess liquid from the columnar mass of ice flake product, said elastic member being sufficiently smaller diameter than said passage and of selected resilience to produce a column of ice substantially free of excess liquid. 